A great number of devices exists which raise and lower a load, and specifically a spare tire from a stored position underneath a vehicle to a lowered position for access by an individual. Conventionally the tire carrier may be pinned to the frame by nut and bolt or the like to retain the tire in a raised position, should a resilient member break.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,167 to Kabushiki Kaisha, describes an improved holding device for a spare tire which includes a tire carrier portion suspended from a chain so that a tire is retained in a stored position and is locked in position. The release of the lock is actuated by the rotation of the shaft 9 which causes the disengagement of the lever from the groove of the wheel support member. Therefore rotation of the operating shaft in the appropriate direction is what is required to raise and lower the spare wheel. Further the assembly of the aforementioned device is quite heavy and cumbersome in operation as best seen in FIGS. 3, 4, 9 and 10 thereof. The '167 patent, provides a pawl or spring steel spring 19 which prevents the rotation of the ratchet wheel, as seen in FIG. 2, 6 (a, b), and 7, wherein member 19 forcibly engages the peripheral edge of the ratchet wheel 5 and prevents the rotation of the wheel in the direction which causes release of the chain.
It would therefore be advantageous in one aspect of the invention to provided a positive locking of the wheel in position which is not dependent upon the rotation of the shaft, and the mechanical reliability of all of the interrelated components, which are required for such a mechanism to work. It would also be advantages to simplify the '167 structure considerably so as to provide a simple device which upon rotation of the winch handle releases the locking device in a positive manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,785 to Deuer Manufacturing describes a securing mechanism for a spare tire which is normally disengaged from the carrier of the tire when the tire is in the raised position. Should the cable break locking pins are urged to engage the tire carrier and hold it in a raised position so the tire is not lost. This mechanism includes locking pins which are urged outwardly by springs. Should salt spray over a number of years degrade the quality of response of these pins, it is possible that the device may fail just when it is most needed.
Nowhere within the prior art is there found a simple latching device which is actuated when a cranking device engages a detent portion proximate the winch. In one aspect of the invention no rotation of the shaft is required and the latch is always released prior to rotation of the shaft thereby reducing the load on the latch and simplifying the operation of the mechanism. When the cranking device is disengaged from the detent portion, the latch being resilient biased moves back to its latching position. In another aspect of an improvement of the invention the latch may be release upon rotation of the cranking device using a member which releases the latch upon rotation of the cranking mechanism in a much simplified manner than presently known devices.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provided a safety device for a load carrier which is engaged at all times when the carrier is in the raised position.
It is a further object this invention to provide a safety device for a load carrier which is easy to use and is reliable.
It is a further object of an improvement to the invention to provide a rotary actuator which controls an operating device for a remote mechanism and which operation of the actuator device moves the operating mechanism and preferably the actuator being embodied with a winch mechanism as an add on component thereof or as integral part thereof
Further and other objects of this invention will become apparent to a man skilled in the art when considering the following summary of the invention and the more detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated herein.